Two men were stabbed and "several" suspects arrested after a melee on Friday night at the "packed" Westfield Valley Fair shopping center, police said.
The showdown began around 7:30 p.m. outside Bath & Body Works on Valley Fair’s lower level, prompting other shoppers to scramble for cover.
San Jose police on the scene of the crime told NBC Bay Area that they apprehended five suspects in the neighborhood to the north of the mall, while they tried to remain cloaked in darkness.
Police do not believe that the victims were targeted. The adult men — one of whom was reportedly stabbed in the hand and the other in the back — sustained non-life-threatening wounds, police said.
"It doesn’t appear ... that there’s a group of people that [was] out looking for another group of people," Sgt. Bob Finnie said. "It looks like it was just two groups of kids … who locked eyes and … it just escalated from there."
Andy Ngo said he heard shoppers shouting during the altercation.
"Four to five teens were attacking" one of the victims "who was stabbed and bleeding," he said.
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The mall stayed open while the group then took off on foot.
"They screamed, 'Let’s get out of here,'" Ngo recalled.
Police would not confirm if the stabbing was gang-related, but Ngo had a different take.
"I think it was gang-related because one side said, 'Sureños,' and the other said, 'Norteños,'" he said.
Police said they do not have a motive for the crime and are not looking for any other suspects at this time.
Check back for updates.
